When this reporter covered his first Major League Baseball game on June 24, 2019, a veteran reporter gave him some sage advice. \u201cBaseball is about people,\u201d the veteran stated. \u201cIt\u2019s a game, yes \u2014 but it\u2019s a game played by people.\u201d One of the people this reporter covered in that game was unceremoniously designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> Wednesday. That person is shortstop Nick Ahmed<\/strong><\/a>, whose 10 seasons in the Sedona Red make him the longest tenured Diamondback in franchise history. And the move, weeks before the end of Ahmed\u2019s contract, shows the downside of professional baseball.<\/p>\n A heavy-hearted Ahmed told reporters in the clubhouse about an hour after the designation that he understood it from a baseball perspective. General Manager Mike Hazen told him that the team wanted to improve its lineup against left-handed pitching. Ahmed, for years, had been dangerous against lefties. His slash lines against lefties from 2017 to 2021 bore witness to it \u2014 .396\/.453\/.625 (\u201917), .256\/.297\/.472 (\u201918), .312\/.377\/.560 (\u201919), .274\/.328\/.436 (\u201920), and .252\/.317\/.462 (\u201921). But in 2023, he was slashing .155\/.197\/.207.<\/p>\n In addition, \u201cSlick Nick\u201d has been an elite defender for most of his career. He is the active leader in Total Zone Runs (Rtot on Baseball Reference) with 75, meaning that the Diamondbacks gave up 75 fewer runs with him at shortstop instead of the average shortstop in the league. Defensive Runs Saved (Rdrs on BRef) has him at 81. Either way, the Diamondbacks had elite defense at shortstop with Ahmed there. After a shoulder injury during training camp in the abbreviated 2020 season, Ahmed\u2019s defense suffered considerably, dropping to Rtot\/Rdrs levels of 4\/4 (\u201920) and 3\/4 (\u201921). He only played 16 games in 2022, with his shoulder injury rendering him ineffective. But in \u201923, his defense also remained close to average, with his Rtot and Rdrs both sitting at one. For a team locked in a dogfight for an NL Wild Card berth, letting Ahmed go makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n But the Diamondbacks didn\u2019t part ways with a robot or some character in a video game. Once again, baseball is about people. And the person they let go \u2014 this year’s Roberto Clemente Award nominee<\/a> from the Diamondbacks \u2014 is a class act. It was common to see Ahmed sign baseballs and pose for photos with fans, especially youngsters. He always smiled and said hello to this reporter, as he did with every other reporter around. Ahmed made it a point to learn people\u2019s names and then refer to them by name. He treated people well and earned respect as a result. Letting him go could not have been an easy decision for the front office. Ask any high school baseball coach, and they\u2019ll tell you that it\u2019s tough to cut a kid who is a good kid. If he\u2019s a jerk, removing him from the roster is easy, but not so when he\u2019s a nice kid and a good person.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an additional layer to this, however, and that is timing. Ahmed was mere weeks away from the end of his contract. He didn\u2019t get a sendoff on the last day of the season. The fans didn\u2019t get a chance to give him a final ovation. And manager Torey Lovullo<\/a><\/strong> won\u2019t get to do what he told reporters after Wednesday\u2019s game that he hoped to do, which was to hug Ahmed first after this team clinched a playoff berth. Given all that Ahmed has been through \u2014 one postseason berth in 10 years, with that berth coming six years ago \u2014 Lovullo felt Ahmed deserved this. But that can\u2019t happen now.<\/p>\nThe Right Baseball Move<\/h4>\n
Consequences of the Move<\/h3>\n
The Other Consequence<\/h4>\n